One of the more commonplace items found in markets and homes today are animal litters which are sold for the purpose of receiving and absorbing (and/or adsorbing) urine and feces, liquid-containing animal waste, eliminated by household domestic animals; and particularly for small animals such as dogs, cats, mice, hamsters, and birds, that are typically kept in family homes or otherwise raised indoors in a household environment. Such litter materials are usually placed in containers termed "litter boxes"; and after a certain amount of time and usage by the animal has elapsed, the soiled litter material is disposed of and then replaced with clean litter material.
An enormous variety of different formulations, compositions, and substances have been used as litter materials. Initially, litters included the use of dried sand, newspapers cut up into small pieces, dry sawdust, dried grass, and the like. Other litters then came into use stemming from clay and other mineral formulations originally intended for use in business and industry for absorbing oil, grease, water, and other liquid spills. This class of formulations is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,665,259; 2,728,733; 3,278,040; 3,080,214; and 4,163,674. A third litter category are those formulations and processes directed to the making of animal litters specifically and which typically provide particular ingredients for the control, collection, and/or disposal of animal wastes. This litter category is exemplified by U.S. Patent Numbers 4,163,674; 4,278,047; 4,570,573; 4,671,209; 4,203,388; 5,109,805; 5,014,650; 5,193,489; 5,209,185; and 5,216,980.
As is well known and frequently complained of by owners of domesticated pets generally, a host of different problems are frequently encountered and are commonplace when using disposable animal litter formulations. Often, the household pet will outright reject the litter formulation; and such rejection is indicated by undesired droppings and waste messes anywhere in the household. In addition, the pet often tends to exhibit a preference for certain litter formulations; and once oriented or accustomed to using one litter formulation, the pet may reject another litter material, even if the substitute offers desirable additives or improvements. Finally, many pet owners regularly remix the litter material; removing some of the soiled material and adding new litter; and then mixing the old with the new as an economy measure. The difficulty lies in that the household pet often will dislike, if not outright reject, the remixed materials-thereby adding to the difficulty of controlling animal wastes.
It will be readily appreciated therefore, that a litter formulation which includes an odorant attractant, and serves as a stimulant for the olfactory organs of the animal, and draws the animal to using the litter would be seen as a major advance and improvement in such preparations. Equally important, if the olfactory organ stimulant and odorant attractant were perceived by the domesticated animal as being a lure, a marker, or a sexual incentive, the pet would become predisposed and quickly accustomed to using the litter material routinely and would find different formulations of litter materials equally appealing.